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Fnatic Weekly: Kicking off Summer with a 4-0!

--By Matthew

We were back with a bang this week as Summer Split of the EULCS got underway. Clashes with Misfits and new blood, Ninjas in Pyjamas waited us, and after blistering playoff form the team was looking to hit the ground running following a hard grind during the break.

First up Thursday was MSF who brought a new jungler in the form of ex-ROCCAT talent. The addition of Maxlore looks like it will add a new dimension of synergy, particularly on the top side with fellow countryman, Alphari. Not that it worried sOAZ. After the early pick Kennen got locked in for the MSF top, the Frenchman responded with the titan that is the new Galio and with Broxah on a favoured pick in Elise, the two were quickly able to shut down the lightning assault pressure and seize a stranglehold.

Meanwhile in botlane, Jesiz grabbed his won powerpick in Thresh, hitting endless hooks and setting up Rekkles for the steady scaling that Tristana needs. As MSF held their own in the early game, by minute 20 they were struggling to cope with our engages.

The dominance followed into game 2 as superb macro play from the boys drove us to the fastest game of 2017 at 23 minutes and 16 seconds. Rightfully so, Jesiz took the first Summer Split MVP award!

Check out our best moments, below.

After storming our way to the first series win of the Split, our Saturday tie was one to think about. Returning to the LCS after several splits out of the game, NiP acquired the Fnatic Academy slot back in May, fielding an entirely new roster and bringing our old coach NicoThePico back to the stage.

They weren't to be pushed over either. Incredibly aggressive in the early stages it was only for the arrival of sOAZ that Broxah survived a first blood scare, taking down Shook in retaliation. NiP were up close and personal throughout, but with the superior experience coming out from the FNC boys we began to snowball a lead and by the end of game 1 our opponents had fallen by the way side. Leading 19-6 on kills, it was only a matter of time before the win was secured.

Knowing the damage that Rekkles had laid out in game 1, NiP's focus went we re-entered the rift was to bring the Swede down as quickly as possible. The flying brick that was Jesiz had other ideas though - he did an absolutely superb job of shielding the AD Carry, deflecting enough damage so that by the time our opponents managed to put Twitch down, Caps' Syndra had arrived at the carnage to clean up the leftovers.

Another solid 2-0, we sit at the top of group A at the end of week one!

The Week to Come

This week sees the start of the Heroes of the Storm Mid-Season Brawl, where 12 of the world’s best teams will go up against each other for their share of the $170,000 prize pool.

We're joined in our group by Roll20 Esports, CE, Nomia, MVP Black and Deadlykittens, who will be our first opponent this Saturday at 2PM CET. On Sunday we brawl with Nomia before facing the other 3 opponents the following week. Then, if all goes well, you’ll be able to cheer on our squad live on the DreamHack Summer stage June 17th and 18th, as we fight our way through the bracket stage to the Grand Finals!

Don't miss out on Thursday's LCS clash either! We face Spring Split champions G2 in a match that could set the tone for Summer. We're pumped to get going, with our players hungry to keep the 1st place spot.